Sagas of the Shield Maiden Book 1. Asa Wheatly (Writer), Ken Reynolds (Letters), Ayoola Solarin (Editor), Sweeney Boo (Cover) (2020).

A very engaging and enjoyable collection of stories from different stages of the life of the unnamed shield maiden, a Viking warrior. 

A Lesson in Revenge Michelle Marham (Art). The Shield maiden arrives at an inn and finds a Christian warrior she knows, Almund is having a fight with a young woman Ingrid. Ingrid wants to fight Almund as a fight against the encroaching Christianity that is taking over in the country. Ingrid challenges Almund to a fight which has a very satisfactory conclusion. Asa Wheatly sets up the context and the cast with economy and clarity, the stage is set for the fight between an inexperienced young woman and a hardened soldier, the struggle against invading Christianity is explicit.

Michelle Marham’s art is clean and precise, it bring the expressive and forceful cast to the fore Almund is a seasoned fighter who enjoys the fight, riding the incoming wave of Christianity he is a confident winner in the physical and the cultural battles being fought. Ingrid is deeply inexperience, raging against the loss of her beliefs as her culture is being swept away. She I determined to make a stand for her family’s heritage. The shield maiden is calm and thoughtful, fighting for Christians because they pay, supporting a young woman because of her passion for the increasingly old ways. The art brings out all the elements in the story and brings the reader into the story. The colouring brings the details of the art and gives it depth and solidity.

A Death Worthy Of A Shield Maiden. Kay Baird (Art). The Shield Maiden is dying and sets about doing so on her own terms. A flashback shows how her mother died to protect her. The shield maiden’s mother is every bit the fighter her daughter would become and the both find a fitting end. The structure is perfectly balanced between the two stories, each one is given weight and depth by the other.

Kay Baird uses different shape of panels to tremendous effect, controlling the story and allowing each of the narratives to flow alongside each other.  The moves from wide angle to closeup are timed perfectly, the story beats are captured and expressed strongly by the art, the beginning and the ending are in balance without feeling forced or excessively contrived. The colours are nicely keyed to separate the flashback and the present-day action making the story transitions smooth and natural.

A Matter of Fate. Kevin Keane (Art). A chieftain decides to kidnap and sacrifice a priestess of the Norse gods to show his commitment to the Christian faith and to advance his path to power with the Christian king. The shield maiden is the lover of the priestess, she is badly beaten when the attack arrives. The failure to kill her is a mistake.

Kevin Keane’s art is moody and dark, it grips and express the story with wonderful directness and energy. The action is up close and brutal, the shield maiden shows exactly who she is. Asa Wheatly weaves in politics, romance and religion with deft confidence. The colouring is astounding, it is wholly artificial and utterly expressive, it captures the emotional context for the action with depth and subtlety. This is my favourite story in the collection.

A Bounty Paid. Sammy Ward (Art). The shield maiden arrives with a prisoner to collect a bounty and encounters some problems. A classic Western story that is transplanted perfectly to a Viking setting. It works exactly as it should.

Sammy Ward presents the story against a pale green background which makers the colours of the cast and the action pop, it creates the desert of snow instead of sand. The cast are expressive, the shield maiden is the hard-working professional who is not looking for trouble nor surprised when it arrives.  The action is managed with flair, the aces on the crowd when they realise what has happened in front of them is just perfect. I am a big western fan and to see a story delivered as beautifully as this makes me very happy.

A Crash of Thunder, A Flash of Lightning. Daniel Coloma (Art). The shield maiden goes on a viking to East Anglia when she was a young girl. The battle on the beach goes very badly for the invaders and she is lucky to escape on a small ship piloted by a stranger. This is the start of her journey to become the scarred warrior known as the shield maiden.

Daniel Coloma’s art is a please to read and luxuriate in. It is full of beautiful details and is hugely expressive. The storm is superb, it feels wild and threatening, the quieter moments are never flat, there is energy and tension between two on the boat. The colouring is superb, it brings out the details of the art and give a physical weight which is needed.

Ken Reynolds lettering is subtle and matches the changes in the art with care. It is faultlessly easy to read, never slowing down the reader or distracting them

Sweeny Boo’s cover declares what you are going to get when you open this book, a wonderful collection of stories by seriously talented creators.

Halls of the Turnip King. Brenda Hickey (Writer & Artist) Pegamoose Press (20202)

 

A charming and engaging comedy fantasy. When the king of the elves decides that a diplomatic mission to the kingdom of the dwarves would be a good idea to forestall potential conflict, he sends his son, Prince Tatian to lead the delegation. Things go as badly as could be hoped for, happily they go wrong is unexpected and very funny was and the whole mess escalates beautifully and reaches a very satisfying conclusion.

Brenda Hickey takes some well-established fantasy ideas and uses them in a distinctive and very appealing way to create a fresh story and a deeply engaging cast. She neatly sidesteps being a attire or a parody, this is a straight forward and serious fantasy story that manages to be completely ridiculous without ever winking at the reader. The story moves at a great pace, the reveals are very well staged and lead to nicely unexpected results.

The cast are lively and energetic. The leading players are all developed characters who are trying to get what they want and working hard to get it. They make the superbly structured farce that unfolds a natural consequence of their colliding into each other. The supporting cast are just as lively, they engage the reader and provide a depth of context and action that is a pleasure to read.

The art is friendly ad engaging. The cast are clearly differentiated, and very expressive, facial features and body language are eloquent and bring the situations string to life. The cloths and the physical details of the locations for the action create a credible context for the action and anchor the story.

The colours are soft and bring out the details of the art with great effect. They give the story a depth that allows the action to shine.

Brenda Hickey cheerfully mixes a range of elements into the story, coffee and video games into a traditional fantasy setting without disruption. She confidently includes them, and the reader can accept them without be thrown out of the story.

The story is delivered with wonderful confidence, it has a happy charm and sharp humour that is a deep pleasure to read.

Based on A True Story-Stranger Than Fiction. Dust Bunny Mafia (2020) Bret Juliano (Writer & Artist)

 

 A very engaging collection of strips that are based on true stories of gangsters and mafia dons. 

The range of the stories is wonderful, they range from bank robbers claiming they rushed to the crime scene from the bakery next door to a shooting victim spitting out a bloody bullet by way of the worst coffee ever served to law enforcement.

There is nothing inherently funny about the stories, they are rather horrifying and disturbing in fact, Bret Juliano has very nicely found a way to acknowledge the facts and be funny at the same time. The true story is printed below the strip. One of the striking aspects to these stories are the nickname of the gangsters. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal responded very violently to be addressed by his nickname, it is not noted if other nicknames were spoken only when the gangster was not present or if the worse them as badges of honour.

The cast are all various birds, lizard, shellfish and animals. This gives Bret Juliano an opportunity to clearly differentiate among the cast. The strips do not directly replicate the story they neatly illustrate is usually at an oblique angle. This allows the strip and the story to play off each other and it works well.

The art is friendly and inviting, it draws the reader in and is very expressive. The mobimals are funny and never cute. They have a strength and force that is needed for the action, they are clearly deadly serious in their intent and happily ridiculous in the execution. This is a hard matter to deliver successfully and Bret Juliano clearly is a serious talent.

The colouring is a treat, it is bright and vivid, it gives the cast a force and definition that they need.

Based on a Ture Story is full of surprising stories wonderfully told, a first-rate comic.